About

Understanding Household Coping and Social Capital in Malawi

Insights from the Titukulane Resilience Food Security Activity

Topic Details
Core Themes Social capital, household resilience, food insecurity
Geography Malawi: Zomba and Mangochi districts
Program USAID-funded Titukulane RFSA implemented by CARE
Study Design Longitudinal secondary data analysis, 2021 household surveys
Sample 5,001 households
Exposure Bonding (within-village) & Bridging (external) social capital
Outcomes Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI), Household Hunger Scale (HHS)
Method Multivariable ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for covariates
Insight No significant association between social capital scores and food insecurity
Learn More https://www.care.org/
Git hub Repository https://github.com/Dawalola/Resilience-And-Coping-Strategies-Against-Food-Insecurity/

Methodology

For this relationship between social capital and coping strategies in Titukulane, a multivariable linear regression will be employed to assess the association between social capital indicators and household coping strategy outcomes, specifically the Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI) and Livelihood Coping Strategy Index (LCSI). Social capital will be measured using who they able to receive help from or provide help to inside or outside the village (relatives, groups, traditional leaders) categorized as bonding, bridging, and linking capital. NOTE:Raw data files are excluded due to confidentiality.

Dashboard Overview

Overview

This dashboard presents interactive visualizations exploring how bonding and bridging social capital relate to household coping and food insecurity outcomes in southern Malawi.

Key points:

  • Social capital was measured via summed scores for within-village (bonding) and external (bridging) networks.
  • Food insecurity outcomes were assessed using rCSI (coping severity) and HHS (hunger levels).
  • Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models were used.
  • Household size and respondent age were included as covariates.
  • No strong evidence linking social capital directly to food security outcomes.

Visualizations

Social Capital Score by Food Security Status

Key Takeaways: - Slightly higher social capital among food secure households. - Difference not statistically significant.

Association Between Social Capital and Food Insecurity

Key Takeaways: - No significant associations between social capital (bonding or bridging) and food insecurity outcomes. - Highlights the need for broader structural interventions beyond social capital alone.